Wet, Hot Summer

The Stats: 8/18 - 8/24
8/19: 2.71 mi; 19'50"; 7'18" avg. pace
8/20: 3.05 mi; 28'53"; 9'27" avg. pace
8/24: 2.71 mi; 19'34"; 7'12" avg. pace

It has been one very rainy summer. August has blessedly been drier than July and allowed for more outdoor activity. Last week was ideal for lacing up the running shoes and hitting the road. My distances remained conservative; I didn't attempt another 10k although running bridge to bridge last week went fine. On Monday I cut the run shy of three miles. I may have been experiencing minor side stitches and decided it wasn't worth pushing for an extra 0.3 miles. Tuesday saw my defeat to Ashley in our "first to 30 miles" challenge for August. We lapped around KC in 90 degree heat and got considerably dehydrated. I followed that up with a volleyball game to cap off a busy evening. The weather turned sour late in the week and kept me off the roads until Saturday. Knowing there was a full day of pool chilling and partying, I was compelled to burn some early morning calories. Strangely, I pulled up short of 5k again, logging the same distance that I ran on Monday. Both of those runs featured an increased pace that was draining under the August sun. Still, the legs are holding up well as the summer winds down.
The Capital City Challenge is firmly fixed on the calendar's horizon. I got out for a bike ride yesterday in order to train a bit for that portion of the race. Kayaking is unlikely before then, so I'll have to strengthen the upper body with some assortment of push-ups and lifting. Whether that actually happens is yet to be seen. In other race news, Mike decided to sign up for the Marshall Half Marathon. This basically necessitates that I tag along. But echos of the Parkersburg injury still linger in my head. I'll hold off on registering for now, but it is certainly an intriguing proposition.

Fall Race Prep

The Stats: 8/11 - 8/17
8/12: 3.12 mi; 23'04"; 7'23" avg. pace
8/14: 6.22 mi; 49'20"; 7'55" avg. pace

It was a quiet, but encouraging week in running. I only made it out on the roads on two days; however, I made the second one count by running 10k. That was the first 10k of the month and I managed to clock-in under 50 minutes. This continues to spell good news for the fall racing schedule. The first run of the week was a customary 5k around the neighborhood. I feel like I've done that route in excess of 300 times since moving to Charleston. Still, it feels good to run it in about 23 minutes. The 10k went bridge to bridge (35th street and South Side). Crossing the Kanawha at sunset is the highlight of that run. It was also good to see so many runners packing the boulevard on a cool evening in August. Those are pretty rare if memory serves correctly.

River hoping

Unfortunately, Ashley is well on pace to reaching 30 miles before me this month. I couldn't manage a run over the weekend, which hurt my odds. Her churning out 7 miles on Saturday really put me behind. So it appears she has won this round.
In race news, The Capital City Challenge is right around the corner. I have not paddled or peddled much in the past few weeks. I may have to step up the bike training in particular. The weather forecast looks promising, so I have no reason to sit on the couch. Let's get cracking!

Le Challenge

The Stats: 8/1 - 8/8
8/3: 3.12 mi; 24'57"; 8'00" avg. pace
8/5: 3.12 mi; 24'08"; 7'42" avg. pace
8/7: 2.22 mi; 16'39"; 7'29" avg. pace
8/8: 2.61 mi; 21'03"; 8'04" avg. pace

Hoping to breakout of a summer lull, I challenged Ashley to see who could run 30 miles in the least amount of days in August. As of today, August 9th, I trail by 4.1 miles (Ashley: 15.2 vs. Matt: 11.1). She is at the halfway mark, so I better get motivated. This training is also part of gearing up for another 10k race. Not too many races of that distance are available in our area. Huntington is holding one the week before the Capital City Challenge. That would be my last chance at a 10k prior to the Atlantic City race in mid-October. I have no ambitions for the Distance Run this year; for once, I can be one of the dudes cheering from the side of the road with a cold drink in hand. Maybe one day I will feel crazy enough to try the CDR again, but not in 2013.

Dog Days, Sirius-ly

The Stats 6/23 - 7/20
6/29: 3.11 mi; 23'21"; 7'30" avg. pace
7/6: 2.60 mi; 19'30"; 7'30" avg. pace
7/8: 2.24 mi; 17'11"; 7'39" avg. pace
7/12: 2.27 mi; 16'32"; 7'17" avg. pace
7/20: 3.00 mi; 30'01"; 9'53" avg. pace

Apologies for the astronomy pun title. As you can see from the short distances above, the heat is conspiring in its annual fury to drain running energy from good folk far and wide. And if the sticky hot doesn't keep my mileage down, the thunderstorms have kept me indoors. The Run for Your Life was a great run to kick off the summer, but I have not quite followed it up with the same intensity of previous years. I keep having to remember that 27 is not that old and I shouldn't be running out of steam/complaining about too many aches and pains. A few good weeks of 3 or more runs should break me out of that funk.
There isn't a lot to write about on my July runs. They show a consistent and good pace. Of course, that 7'30" pace is easier to maintain over distances less than 5 kilometers. The run on 7/20 was my first run at Snowshoe this year. Ashley kept me company and got some good hill training for herself. We had to wait until 11 am for the fog to lift off the mountain top. Once it did, we enjoyed some comfortable 70 degree air and a slight breeze. We paced by the village and headed up towards the Camp 4 area. That was the turn around point, as we had no ambition at climbing the hill back from the Silver Creek entrance. Jogging back across the parking lot at Soaring Eagle put us right at 3 miles for the workout. After that we kicked back and enjoyed the festivities of the chili cook-off weekend. Mike made a daring and long bike ride through the rain earlier that morning. Hopefully we can make it back to the cabin for more training before the winter.
On the 10k planning front, we are in talks concerning the Shore Medical Center Atlantic City 10k in October. However, travel arrangements are proving difficult. Who knew getting a flight to Atlantic City would be so difficult? A state other than New Jersey might have to be crossed out this fall.

Mountain air feels good

Run for Your Life 2013 Review

The Run
6/22: 5.0 miles; 39'43"; 7;57" avg. pace

This year's installment of the Run for Your Life was my best yet. A personal best for the course was a pleasant surprise. The only explanation I can find is that well rested legs are more important for hill running than intensive training. That, and the possibility cross training (volleyball, strength training) compliments running more than I thought.
The splits show that I took a cautious, but still determined, pace on the flats behind Laidley Field. Turning the corner on Farnsworth and up the hill, I immediately slowed down my pace. I ran over a ten minute mile pace for the steepest parts of the hill. Still, I managed to pass a few runners that either started too aggressively or made a strategy out of walking some of the hill. I also kept my mile two split below ten minutes. Past the gates of Spring Hill Cemetery and nearing the top, I felt good. I was winded but not wheezing. I knew from that point onward it would be a good race. The path around the cemetery is hilly, but having survived the main hurdle I paced them okay. My third mile dipped back below eight minutes and put me near the descent. Some quick encouragement from Ashley helped me speed down the hill, and I managed to not fall on my face. A few runners flew by, managing to ignore the intense pounding to their knee joints. I turned a tad more measured descent, but still had a respectable 7'41" split on mile four. A couple other guys paced me back towards the finish line. With energy left to spend, the final mile turned into my best at around 7'20". Shew, glad that turned okay.

Hill goes up, pace goes down & vice versa

It was an amazingly beautiful day. The volunteers and race staff did a great job of setup, as always. The change of race location from a starting point at Haddad to the Capitol turned out to be okay and may have drawn a bigger race crowd. All in all, this is one of my favorite runs and I hope to be able to do it again next year.

Gonna need some chicken to refuel after that one

Results, Jason Pyles is the man

Fat Kid Down - Run For Your Life or Death (Mike)

I still haven't gotten back to where I was last Sept.  Ten pounds heavier, but working back in the right direction.  I'm trying to focus on myself and block out distractions, but its difficult to suck.  I hate it.  I hate watching Matt finish in the top 20 percentile of our races while I'm back in the bottom third.  I hate that my main competitive running rivalry is with a 60 year old friend of my mom's...at least I took her down in both DC and Run For Your Life - take that Cheryl.  It's been 2 years since I quit powerlifting so it doesn't quite feel like "yeah, well I benched 400lbs" is really a relevant excuse anymore.  But, despite all my foot and ankle problems, I am getting better again.

This years Run For Your Life felt like a death march.  I pushed.  I couldn't run the entire hill; no surprise.  Once I stopped running, I tried to limit my rest break to just enough to recover and catch my breath enough to get back into a forward pace.  I normally run a 7 minute mile on the downhill...210lbs can provide quite the downhill momentum when you just let it go.  My legs were rolling so hard it actually took the wind out of me and I had to scale it back a couple times.  I'm just glad nothing blew out on me when I hit the brakes.

I ended up finishing just over 54 minutes.  Nothing really to brag about, but it is a 4 minute improvement on my previous Run For Your Life 2 years ago.

After the race, I judged at the Chili Cook-off and then we went boating.  Turns out I forgot to eat all day...stupid.  I could barely stay awake on Sunday and every part of my body was either sore or sunburnt.  I didn't manage my swim/bike double workout Monday, but hope to get something in tomorrow.  I realized I haven't completed a WV 10k as part of our goal to run a 10k in each State so I'm signed up for the Biggest Loser 10k this weekend.  No rest for the weary.

Running, Cycling, Swimming - I've seen what improvements are possible when I get my body weight down under 200lbs.  If I want to get better, I've got to get lighter.

Run For Your Life 5-miler - what doesn't kill you...well, it didn't kill me.

Run for Your Life Preview

The Stats 6/2/13 - 6/16/13
6/3: 6.22 mi; 50'58"; 8'11" avg. pace
6/12: 2.01 mi; 15'07"; 7'31" avg. pace
6/14: 5.02 mi; 43'22"; 8'38" avg. pace

Scheduling training runs has been difficult this summer. Other extra-circulars and the rain have combined to dent my usual pattern of 3-4 weekly runs. I wouldn't mind so much, but it makes gearing up for difficult races, like the upcoming Run for Your Life 5 miler, more daunting. My past three runs have all been encouraging though. On the third I did a circuit from the house, over the 35th St. Bridge, down the Boulevard, back over the South Side Bridge, and down MacCorkle to the house. It was good to see that my last mile was my third fastest split, so I have some energy at the end of a ten kilometer run. On June 12, I made it out in 90 degree heat to trot out a couple miles. Running a good seven and a half minute pace was uplifting; the summer sun can often drag split times down by a half to a full minute. My last training run in this period featured a road run outside of Hinton, WV. I ran along the Greenbrier River and near the local 4H camp. It was a more relaxed pace, but had some winding hills that my knees seemed able to handle with minimal creaking afterward.

Hinton, WV - run in the great outdoors

Having said all that, this upcoming race is a monster. The hill starting on Farnsworth Drive and leading up to Spring Hill Cemetery is the most difficult hill I've had to run. Add to that a likely warm, humid June morning and you have a recipe for DNF. I know I'll finish, but will it be in triumphant or somber fashion? I did this race every year from 2008 to 2011. Here is a breakdown of those finishes:

As you can see, I was humbled by the hill in 2009. But 2010 and 2011 showed a return to form. Injuries and time off want to threaten my recent good fortune. I'll have to replace training with an extra shot of will power.
A slight course change puts the starting line at the Capitol instead of river side at Haddad Park. That is fine by me, as the original course started with a brief incline up a ramp. California Ave. is where the runners will start. A left turn on Piedmont moves you west, away from the Capitol. Then, runners will turn around and start up the ramp on Farnworth Drive. That road ascends over the interstate and up, up, up to historic Spring Hill Cemetery. Once in the cemetery, the hills don't stop; it's a windy course through the graveyard. Everyone will be thrilled after making a loop through the cemetery; that's when we retrace the path, downhill this time, back to the Capitol. Friends, family, and food will be waiting at the finish line.

Enter, and hopefully leave, Spring Hill Cemetery

The annual FestivALL Chili Cook-off takes place following the race. All proceeds go to fight colorectal cancer; so I won't feel too down, even if I can't jog out the entire run.
Thumbs up, let's do this!